Perfect Paleo Pumpkin Bread

This pumpkin bread is so moist and perfect for the holidays. Serve it with grass-fed butter, nut butter, and/or honey for a special treat. It's filling enough to enjoy at breakfast and is sweet enough for dessert. It's also free of dairy, grains, refined sugars, and is gluten-free.

When I set out to create this recipe, I had high expectations. I wanted it to have the texture to be denser than cake. I wanted it to be hearty enough that one piece could be perfectly satisfying. And I wanted it to be ever-so-lightly sweetened so that it's delicious by itself... but still could be enjoyed with butter for a more savory treat or with a drizzle of honey for something sweeter.

This pumpkin bread is perfect because it meets ALL of my requirements. If you follow me on Instagram, you know it took me a few tries to get this one right! And it was so worth it!

Oh, and I should mention that it's really simple and easy to make!

Ingredients for Healthy Perfect Paleo Pumpkin Bread

Almond Flour

Almond flour is considered blanched because the skins have been peeled off. And it has a tendency to create lighter fluffier baked goods. I used blanched because that's what I typically have on hand; however, I think almond meal would also work well in this recipe. The courser texture of almond meal might give the bread a slightly more dense texture which should still work.

Arrowroot Flour

I didn't want the texture to be too fluffy and cake-like so enter arrowroot flour. I love how it makes baked goods have a "chewier" vibe which I think lends itself well to bread recipes in general.

Coconut Flour

This was added as my last-ditch effort to get the perfect bread. Adding the coconut flour allowed me to keep the maple syrup as a sweetener as well as the coconut milk for extra flavor. Without the coconut flour, the bread still tastes great! But it was moister than a bread should be.

Eggs

And of course, the eggs are what hold it all together! I always recommend choosing pasture-raised for the most flavorful eggs.

Pumpkin Purée

You want to be sure you buy pumpkin PUREE and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling is loaded with refined sugars and will make this recipe far too sweet. It's an easy mistake to make and I've made it more than once. It makes for a very unpleasant surprise!

Pumpkin Pie Spice

It wouldn't be a pumpkin recipe without pumpkin pie spice! I do find that it can sometimes be a bit bitter for my tastes... enter:

Cinnamon

I think this balances the pumpkin pie spice bitterness while still giving it that fall flavor so many of us love. I did a poll on Instagram recently; however, and was surprised that not as many people love it as I'd thought. So that's another reason why this recipe has cinnamon to balance out the pumpkin pie spice.

Coconut Milk

It's my belief that the coconut milk in this recipe is what sets it apart from other pumpkin bread recipes. It gives it so much flavor! Not to mention, it really helps keep it perfectly moist. I like to use this kind because it doesn't have any added unnecessary ingredients and it's always mixed together. (It says "simple" on the label.) If you have any other coconut milk brand, just run the can under hot water for a few minutes and shake it up to get it to combine before you measure it out for the recipe.

Vanilla Extract, Baking Soda, & Salt

The three necessary ingredients that belong in most dessert breads. Without, it would be quite flat in texture as well as flavor.

Paleo Pumpkin Bread Variations & Substitutions

Because of the coconut flour in this recipe, I don't recommend substituting much but I do think you have some leeway here and there which I'll lay out for you as best I can.

• Maple Syrup: You could swap this out for honey easily. Just keep in mind that honey is sweeter so you may want to consider not using quite as much unless you prefer a more dessert-like bread. Also, you could potentially swap it out for coconut palm sugar; however, the bread may turn out slightly dryer.

• Arrowroot Flour: Don't have arrowroot flour on hand? Swap it out with tapioca flour! I haven't tried the swap in this recipe but I've tried it in others and as far I can tell, it's a 1:1 swap.

• Pumpkin Pie Spice & Cinnamon: You could easily switch up one for the other and double up on either. So if you're not a fan of pumpkin pie spice, omit it entirely or swap it with cinnamon. You can't go wrong either way!

• Coconut Milk: You may be able to swap this out for melted butter or coconut oil. I haven't tried that yet but if you do, let me know how it turns out!

I hope this recipe becomes a staple in your home during the holidays for years to come! I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself for this one. Enjoy and please tag me on Instagram @prettyhealthyfamily if you make it!